Claude Paquin, a Quebecois who served 18 years in prison following a wrongful conviction for a double murder in 1983, has recently reached a significant settlement agreement with the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Quebec after being acquitted 41 years later. The settlement, announced jointly by the three parties, aims to help Paquin move forward from the challenging period in his life without undergoing a lengthy trial scheduled for this fall.
The wrongful conviction related to the deaths of Ronald Bourgouin and Sylvie Revah in 1978 in the Laurentians. Following full parole granted in 2001 under strict conditions that lasted for 23 years, Paquin was acquitted in 2024 at the age of 83 after new information led to the recognition of a potential miscarriage of justice in his case.
Paquin’s legal team, supported by Woods LLP, filed a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit against the City of Montreal and the Attorney General of Quebec in May 2025. The lawsuit alleged that the police and prosecution were aware as early as 1983 that the key witness’s testimony was false and that the physical evidence linking Paquin to the crime had been manipulated or fabricated. The lawsuit described the case as a “stolen life” and highlighted the extensive duration of unjust imprisonment Paquin endured.
Although Paquin sought over $89 million in damages, the exact settlement amount remains undisclosed due to a confidentiality agreement attached to the settlement. As the lawsuit was resolved outside of court, the claims were not subject to legal examination, and all involved parties have refrained from making additional comments.